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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. row — a line
  9. chair — a leader
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. snap — to click
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. press — to push
  21. game — wild animals
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com